DR. WALLACE: I'm starting a walking-jogging program because I want to take care of my body. I'm 17 and have one more year of high school. I want to start my program now and continue for a long, long time.
I have been reading recently that habits formed in the teen or young adult years tend to last a lifetime, quite often. Therefore, I am seeking to build up good habits now while I am still pretty young.
So, I would like to know if it is more advantageous physically for me to walk-jog in the morning, or in the evening before the sun goes down? I've heard pros and cons for both times of day. — Hope to Be Healthy, via mail
HOPE: Physical fitness experts recommend, all else being equal, a later daily workout because the muscles are warmer and more flexible then. But the most important thing overall is to get on a regular workout schedule at a time that works for you and stick to it. Your body will soon adjust to the time. You can get almost 100 percent of the health benefits if you work out for 45 minutes to an hour, four days a week. Whatever time of day you select, remember to warm up first!
DEEP DOWN, YOU LOVED HER
DR. WALLACE: I'd like to respond to the letter from the girl who was upset because her "bossy" grandmother lived with them.
My grandmother also came to live with my family several years ago. She slept in the living room, which cut into my social life. She spent her days in a chair where she would be "close to the action."
Whenever I walked to the front door, she demanded to know where I was going. She always took my parents' side in family disagreements and never had a kind word for me.
After a while, I started to wish she would be put in an old folks' home because I felt she was ruining my life. One day, she became ill and went to the hospital. I really wasn't sorry to see her go. However, when she died, suddenly I was shocked and saddened. After a few weeks of freedom from her nagging, I realized that I missed her.
I hadn't taken the time when she was alive to understand that she probably felt like an intruder in our house. She was trapped in the living room, in poor health, without her husband and totally dependent on our family for everything.
Teens, if you have grandparents living in your home, please be aware and understanding of the situation. I realize this causes friction at times because many times grandparents just don't understand today's teens. They grew up in a different world, for sure. But please don't frown and grow to resent them. Instead, smile and offer a kind word.
I'm sorry that I didn't do more for my grandmother. Now it's too late to tell her I loved her. — Remorseful, Patterson, New Jersey
REMORSEFUL: Thank you for sharing your experience with our teen readers. Many grandmothers and grandfathers will get a big hug and an "I love you" because of it. Most grandparents are very wise and observant. Even though you and your grandmother had your disagreements, deep down, she knew you loved her, and she loved you.
Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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